Intelligent traffic system coming

BP Report
In an effort to reduce traffic congestion and improve the traffic control systems, an Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) is going to be introduced in the capital soon.
To this end, Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has been implementing a pilot project titled ‘Dhaka Integrated Traffic Management Project (DITMP)’ taken in 2016. The project work is expected to be completed by December 2019.
As part of the project, the DTCA is working to install the system at Paltan, Gulistan, Mohakhali and Gulshan-1 intersections with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Under the ITS, closed circuit cameras (CC cameras) or vehicle detectors (car detecting equipment) will calculate the number of cars on the road. The device will keep records of the number of vehicles passing through a lane at a certain time.
Then according to the pressure on the vehicles, it will set time for the signal, which is previously set by the traffic police manually. The device will be able to identify traffic rules violators.
The intelligent system will also set the timing of the pedestrians crossing as per the pressure of pedestrians. Everything will be controlled from a control room.
However, the system might not work properly during heavy rush of traffic, experts have said.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic is a common scene in the streets of Dhaka. In such cases, the cameras might be not able to detect the number of vehicles to set the tariff control parameters. There is no alternative to controlling traffic manually in such situations.
The total cost of the project has been estimated at Tk 36.37 crore. If the experimental project is successful in these four places, intelligent traffic system will be set up in all intersection of Dhaka, officials said.
Project officials said the infrastructure development work is in progress. JICA will provide ITS devices for the project.
The ITS CC cameras or devices will be able to keep records of vehicles in the 300 meters area, project officials said.
They said after installation, the ITC will be handed over to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Itrat Hossain Zakaria, project director of DITMP, said the arrival of ITS equipment and camera will take until June 2019,” said Itrat Hossain Zakaria.
Asked how well the system will work in Dhaka, he said “I think it will work fine here. It is an automated system which will set the time of traffic signals after calculating the numbers of vehicles on the road.”